Writing a Great Movie Read online

  Writing a Great Movie

  KEY TOOLS FOR SUCCESSFUL SCREENWRITING

  Jeff Kitchen

  BISTRO PUBLISHING COMPANY™

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I’d like to thank my wife, Hope Mineo, as well as Bob Nirkind, Amy Dorta, Leah Lococo, Katherine Happ, Rita Rosenkranz, Cheri Smith, Steven Dietz, Bill Kitchen, Irving Fiske, and William Thompson Price.

  Executive Editor: Bob Nirkind

  Project Editor: Amy Dorta

  Production Manager: Katherine Happ

  Graphic Design/Production: imacdesign.wordpress.com

  Copyright ® 2006 by Jeffrey W. Kitchen

  Bistro Publications

  1112 Montana, Avenue, Suite 613

  Santa Monica, CA 90403

  ISBN-13: 978-0-8230-6978-1

  ISBN-10: 0-8230-6978-8

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2006923457

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means—graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or information storage and retrieval systems without the written permission of the publisher.

  Good Old St. Nick is registered at the WGA #955138.

  Brief quotations as submitted from pp. 6, 58, 68, 106 from On Directing Film by David Mamet, copyright © 1991 by David Mamet. Used by permission of Viking Penguin, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  Brief quotation from Actors Turned Directors by Jon Stevens. Published by Silman-James Press.

  Brief quotations as submitted from pp. 16, 23, 85 from Playwriting: How to Write for the Theatre by Bernard Grebanier. Copyright © 1961 Harper & Row, Publishers, Inc. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

  Riso-Hudson Enneagram Type Names and Descriptions. Copyright 2005, The Enneagram Institute, All Rights Reserved. Used with Permission.

  “Doom Eager: Writing What You Need to Know” by Steven Dietz. Used by permission. © 1990 by Steven John Dietz. All rights reserved.

  Printed in the U.S.A. First printing, 2006 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0

  Table of Contents

  Introduction

  It’s All About the Audience

  The Writer Sculpts the Mood of the Audience

  What Do We Hunger For in Movies?

  The Stage and the Altar

  Audience Demand

  Transforming the Audience

  The Craft of the Dramatist

  Turning Story into Drama

  Creating Dramatic Action

  Creating Unity of Action

  Getting Down to the Core of Your Script

  Engineering Your Screenplay Before You Write It

  Dramatic Writing: An Elusive Art

  Principle and Method

  Storytelling

  PART ONE: THE KEY TOOLS

  CHAPTER 1

  Dilemma, Crisis, Decision & Action, and Resolution: Dramatizing Your Plot

  The Function of Dilemma in Dramatizing a Plot

  Damned if You Do and Damned if You Don’t

  A Dilemma of Magnitude

  A Sense of Proportion

  The Use of Dilemma in Training Day

  The Use of Dilemma in What Women Want

  The Use of Dilemma in Minority Report

  The Use of Dilemma in The Godfather

  The Use of Dilemma in Tootsie

  The Use of Dilemma in Blade Runner

  Becoming a Student of Human Dilemma

  Using Dilemma as a Working Tool

  Looking Deeper into Dilemma in Training Day

  Let’s Create a Demo Plot with a Strong Dilemma

  The Function of Crisis in Dramatizing a Plot

  The Use of Crisis in Training Day

  The Use of Crisis in What Women Want

  The Use of Crisis in Minority Report

  The Use of Crisis in The Godfather

  The Use of Crisis in Tootsie

  The Use of Crisis in Blade Runner

  Let’s Add a Crisis to Our Demo Plot

  The Function of Decision & Action in Dramatizing a Plot

  The Use of Decision & Action in Training Day

  The Use of Decision & Action in What Women Want

  The Use of Decision & Action in Minority Report

  The Use of Decision & Action in The Godfather

  The Use of Decision & Action in Tootsie

  The Use of Decision & Action in Blade Runner

  Let’s Add a Decision & Action to Our Demo Plot

  The Function of Resolution in Dramatizing a Plot

  The Use of Resolution in Training Day

  The Use of Resolution in What Women Want

  The Use of Resolution in Minority Report

  The Use of Resolution in The Godfather

  The Use of Resolution in Tootsie

  The Use of Resolution in Blade Runner

  Maximum Dramatic Reversal

  Discovery or Recognition

  Let’s Add a Resolution to Our Demo Plot

  Start Using Dilemma, Crisis, Decision & Action, and Resolution in Your Own Script

  CHAPTER 2

  Theme: Developing the Heart of Your Story

  The Functions of Theme

  Theme Permeates Your Script

  Theme Focuses Your Material

  The Use of Theme in Films

  The Use of Theme in Training Day

  The Use of Theme in What Women Want

  The Use of Theme in Minority Report

  The Use of Theme in The Godfather

  The Use of Theme in Tootsie

  The Use of Theme in Blade Runner

  Let’s Explore Theme for Our Demo Plot

  Getting in Touch with Your Theme

  When Your Theme Takes on a Life of Its Own

  Starting with a Sense of Theme

  Using Quotations to Explore Theme and Plot

  Start Using Theme in Your Own Script

  CHAPTER 3

  The 36 Dramatic Situations: Developing and Energizing Your Plot

  Identifying and Defining the 36 Dramatic Situations

  Using the 36 Dramatic Situations as a Brainstorming Tool

  Free Association

  Starting a Story Idea from Scratch

  Exploring Plot Possibilities

  Taking Stock of What You’ve Already Got

  Maintaining Flexibility

  Overcoming Blind Spots

  The Use of the 36 Dramatic Situations in Films

  The Use of the 36 Dramatic Situations in Training Day

  The Use of the 36 Dramatic Situations in What Women Want

  The Use of the 36 Dramatic Situations in Minority Report

  The Use of the 36 Dramatic Situations in The Godfather

  The Use of the 36 Dramatic Situations in Tootsie

  The Use of the 36 Dramatic Situations in Blade Runner

  Subheadings of the 36 Dramatic Situations

  Complete List of Subheadings

  Working with Subheadings on the Plot of Training Day

  Using the 36 Dramatic Situations to Jump-start a New Idea

  Start Using the 36 Dramatic Situations in Your Own Script

  CHAPTER 4

  The Enneagram: Creating Deep, Complex, and Distinct Characters

  The Nine Types of the Enneagram

  1. The Reformer

  2. The Helper

  3. The Achiever

  4. The Individualist

  5. The Investigator

  6. The Loyalist

  7. The Enthusiast

  8. The Challenger

  9. The Peacemaker

  Using the Enneagram to Analyze Characters from Training Day

  Let’s Create a Character with the Enneagram

  More Information on the Enneagram

  Start Using
the Enneagram in Your Own Script

  CHAPTER 5

  Research and Brainstorming: Exploring Possibilities and Opening Up Your Story

  Using Research to Explore Story Potential and Build Plot

  Go to the Source

  Use Great Resources

  Focus Your Research

  Hold Your Story Ideas in Suspension

  Know When to Stop

  Don’t Limit Yourself to “Write What You Know”

  Using Brainstorming to Explore Possibilities and Shatter Story Limits

  Incubating Ideas and Letting Your Subconscious Percolate

  Double-checking What You’ve Created So Far

  Revisiting the 36 Dramatic Situations

  Restating Dilemma, Crisis, Decision & Action, and Resolution

  Start Using Research and Brainstorming in Your Own Script

  CHAPTER 6

  The Central Proposition: Tying Your Plot Together and Cranking Up the Conflict

  Adapting the Proposition of Logic to Drama

  Set Up a Potential Fight

  Touch Off the Fight to the Finish

  The Central Dramatic Question: Leaving the Audience Hanging

  Constructing the Central Proposition

  Step 1: Visualize the Fight to the Finish

  Step 2: What is the Central Dramatic Question?

  Step 3: What Action by the Protagonist Touches Off the Fight to the Finish?

  Step 4: What Earlier Action by the Protagonist Sets Up the Potential Fight?

  Step 5: Do the Set-up and the Touch-off Have Anything in Common that Can Bind Them Together?

  The Use of the Central Proposition for Training Day

  A Word about the Antagonist

  The Use of the Central Proposition for Films

  The Use of the Central Proposition for What Women Want

  The Use of the Central Proposition for Minority Report

  The Use of the Central Proposition for The Godfather

  The Use of the Central Proposition for Tootsie

  The Use of the Central Proposition for Blade Runner

  The Nucleus of Your Plot

  Getting Some Distance from Your Work

  Pulling All the Elements Together

  The Genetic Identity of Your Story

  Using the Central Proposition in a Demo Plot

  Start Using the Central Proposition in Your Own Script

  CHAPTER 7

  Sequence, Proposition, Plot: Constructing and Tightening Your Plot

  Sequence, Proposition, Plot: A Three-Step Process

  Step 1: Sequence

  Step 2: Proposition

  Step 3: Plot

  The Full Application of Sequence, Proposition, Plot

  Sequence, Proposition, Plot for Overall Script of Training Day

  Sequence, Propostion, Plot for Act III of Traning Day

  Sequence, Proposition, Plot for Act III, Sequence 1 of Training Day

  Sequence, Proposition, Plot for Act III, Sequence 2, Scene 3 of Training Day

  A Quick Review of What We’ve Done with Training Day

  Constructing a Story with Sequence, Proposition, Plot

  Reverse Cause and Effect for a Sequence

  Developing Proposition and Plot for a Sequence

  An X-Ray of the Action

  Creating a Scene with Sequence, Proposition, Plot

  Reverse Cause and Effect for a Scene

  Developing Proposition and Plot for a Scene

  Writing Dialog Based on the Structure We’ve Developed

  A Quick Review of What We’ve Done with this Demo Story

  Start Using Sequence, Proposition, Plot in Your Own Script

  PART TWO: USING THE KEY TOOLS TO WRITE A GREAT MOVIE

  CHAPTER 8

  Using Dilemma, Crisis, Decision & Action, and Resolution

  Focusing on Dilemma While Creating the Story

  Beginning with the Raw Idea

  Developing the Story

  Isolating the Dilemma

  Building the Magnitude

  Exploring One Side of the Dilemma: It’s Unacceptable to Get Involved

  Exploring the Other Side of the Dilemma: It’s Unacceptable to Remain Uninvolved

  Plotting the Revenge

  Opening Up Plot Possibilities

  Detour: Going to the 36 Dramatic Situations for Ideas

  Returning from Detour: Continue From Here

  Resuming Work on Cutter’s Dilemma

  Clarifying the Dilemma with a Two-Column Chart

  Focusing on Crisis While Creating the Story

  Testing Possibilities and Extremes for Cutter’s Crisis

  Compounding Cutter’s Crisis

  Focusing on Decision & Action While Creating the Story

  Fight or Flight?

  The Judy Garland Transformation

  Wrestling with Possibilities

  Playing with Extremes

  Technique and Creativity

  Focusing on Resolution While Creating the Story

  Pulling Cutter Out of the Fire

  The Trickle-Up Effect

  CHAPTER 9

  Using Theme

  The Value of Knowing Your Theme

  Quotes Exploring the Theme of Good Old St. Nick

  CHAPTER 10

  Using the 36 Dramatic Situations

  Exploring the 36 Dramatic Situations to Open Up Our Story

  1. Supplication

  2. Deliverance

  3. Crime Pursued by Vengeance

  Interrupting the Process to Brainstorm

  Stepping Back and Shaking Things Up

  Beefing Up the Comedy

  Exploding with Questions

  Creating Solutions

  Cutter’s Worst Enemy is His Guru

  The Research Pays Off

  Creating a New Character

  Catastrophe and Opportunity

  Back to Exploring the 36 Dramatic Situations

  4. Vengeance Taken for Kindred upon Kindred

  5. Pursuit

  6. Disaster

  7. Falling Prey to Cruelty or Misfortune

  8. Revolt

  9. Daring Enterprise

  10. Abduction

  11. The Enigma

  12. Obtaining

  13. Enmity of Kinsmen

  14. Rivalry of Kinsmen

  15. Murderous Adultery

  16. Madness

  17. Fatal Imprudence

  18. Involuntary Crimes of Love

  19. Slaying of Kinsman Unrecognized

  20. Self-sacrifice for an Ideal

  21. Self-sacrifice for Kindred

  22. All Sacrificed for a Passion

  23. Necessity of Sacrificing Loved Ones

  24. Rivalry of Superior and Inferior

  25. Adultery

  26. Crimes of Love

  27. Discovery of the Dishonor of a Loved One

  28. Obstacles to Love

  29. An Enemy Loved

  30. Ambition

  31. Conflict with a God

  32. Mistaken Jealousy

  33. Erroneous Judgment

  34. Remorse

  35. Recovery of a Lost One

  36. Loss of Loved Ones

  CHAPTER 11

  Using the Enneagram

  Developing the Character of Cutter

  Developing the Character of Apollo

  Developing the Character of St. Nick

  Developing the Character of Senator Hutchings

  Developing the Character of Mischa

  Developing the Character of Margarita

  Developing the Character of Shallott

  CHAPTER 12

  Using Research and Brainstorming

  Sources and Resources

  Eureka!

  More Research

  A Brainstorming Session Emerging from Good Research

  Attack as a Storyteller

  Trying Out Some Titles for This Script

  CHAPTER 13

  Using the Central Proposition

  Developing the Conflict


  Wrestling with Plot Problems

  Creating Some Solutions

  Enough Material to Apply the Central Proposition

  Using the Five-Step Process to Construct the Central Proposition

  Step 1: Visualize the Fight to the Finish

  Step 2: What is the Central Dramatic Question?

  Step 3: What Action by the Protagonist Touches Off the Fight to the Finish?

  Step 4: What Earlier Action by the Protagonist Sets Up the Potential Fight?

  Step 5: Do the Set-up and the Touch-off Have Anything in Common that Can Bind Them Together?

  Assembling the Proposition

  Adding a Little More Detail to the Proposition

  Evaluating the Proposition

  A Dynamic New Plot Possibility Arises

  Laying Out the Plot on Note Cards for Clarity

  Another Take on the Proposition

  A Third Take on the Proposition

  CHAPTER 14

  Using Sequence, Proposition, Plot

  Developing an Ending for Good Old St. Nick

  Laying out the Ending on Note Cards

  Sequence, Proposition, Plot for the Whole Script

  Reverse Cause and Effect for the Whole Script

  Proposition, Plot for the Whole Script

  Dividing the Script into Acts

  Sequence, Proposition, Plot for Act I

  Reverse Cause and Effect for Act I

  Proposition, Plot for Act I

  Dividing the Act into Sequences

  Sequence, Proposition, Plot for Act I, Sequence 2

  Reverse Cause and Effect for Act I, Sequence 2

  Proposition, Plot for Act I, Sequence 2

  Dividing the Sequences into Scenes

  Sequence, Proposition, Plot for Act I, Sequence 2, Scene 1

  Reverse Cause and Effect for Act I, Sequence 2, Scene 1

  Proposition, Plot for Act I, Sequence 2, Scene 1

  Sequence, Proposition, Plot for Act I, Sequence 2, Scene 2

  Reverse Cause and Effect for Act I, Sequence 2, Scene 2

  Proposition, Plot for Act I, Sequence 2, Scene 2

  Writing Two Scenes Based on the Previous Structuring